Equifax has followed TransUnion in plans to launch a credit freeze service. Lets hope that Experian, the third of the large credit bureaus gets on board.

Speaking of credit freeezes, Oregon residents can now get one put on for free starting October first.

However, Broderick Perkins reminds us that a credit freeze is a tool to prevent identity theft but is not a cure.

Best Privacy for Free Email

Erik Larkin or PC World investigated what free email service offers the best privacy protection to its users. The three he looked at were Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo!.

Microsoft records the least about its users activity but Google asks for the least personal information to open an account. Microsoft and Yahoo! use the demographic information on the profile to display ads.

Erik liked Google but noted their was a problem with the delay in the time to delete messages out of your account.

In California if you finance home improvements through your local utility, your Social Security number becomes public record. This means putting in new windows or insulation can put you at risk of identity theft.